Favorite Things
by Kishippe
Summary: JERZA. The two remaining members of Crime Sorciere visit Magnolia to sneak a peek at Fairy Tail, but end up getting caught by a certain re-epuip mage and taken in to the guild for some rest. But when the concil shows up in town, they end up staying longer than they expected, and Jellal starts to find that not ALL of his favorite things fade away. Rated T because of intense fluff ;D


**Hey guys ^^ So, I recently got into Jerza, and I gotta say… I love it :3 It's just sooooo cute! So I figured I ought to write something showin' my love XD (And the fact that I'm a totally hopeless fangirl hahahahaha) **

**By the way, just as a little warning, I JUST finished the anime and haven't read the manga, so, uh…. Pardon me for inaccurate things, I guess? Yeah, I know that… Um, some stuff happened XD But, this doesn't really have a particular point where it comes in the actual plot, so… Here we go XD**

**Oh! And **SPOILERS** I DO know what happened to Ultear, so she won't be here. What can I say? I'm a cheater :3 **END SPOILERS* * Oh! And, that's all I know, by the way XD So if something here isn't right then please tell me ^^" **

**And the first point of Jerza-ness is a little ways down. I needed an introduction, y'know? ;) Just a warning~**

**Disclaimer: I don't own stuff :D**

He remembered that the berries hanging off the bushes around him had been red that day. They had been scarlet.

It was nighttime, and the sky had become an array of shades and shimmers, with long, stringy clouds framing the glowing face of the moon and spreading down over clumps of stars like thin, wavy sheets of blown glass. The delicate celestial bodies had been infected with moonlight, and their spindly fingers were stretching out over the sky in a mixture of greys, blues and lavenders, throwing beams of light into the trees and down into the small, one-night stand of a camp that he had set up along with his childish pink haired companion, who was lying on her back and staring intently into the sky. Their camp fire was flickering at her, casting long shadows over her thin body with tints of orange light outlining her features, which had relaxed into an expression of deep thought.

He knew what she was thinking about, of course, but he wouldn't speak to her. It wasn't comfort she needed, it was time. She needed to think. Plus, he had gotten caught up in the burning red center of the fire, which quivered and beat like a glowing heart nestled in an orangey-yellow chest. The color red attracted him. It captured him. He enjoyed the warmth he felt when it was near him, when he could see that it was close by. It gave him the comfort that he needed to continue wandering around with the broken, two-person group that he had created to atone for his many, many sins.

His green eyes shifted from their place at the fire to the sky, then turned towards the pink-haired girl as a blast of cool air kissed his skin.

Sensing his gaze, she eased herself up and into a sitting position, letting her hands slide behind her for support as she crossed her slender legs and slouched back. There was a pause, and then: "I want to go home, Jellal." She said quietly, a fond smile finding its way to her lips. Her smile was different lately, despite the fact that it _did _hold genuine happiness. There were subtle, tired lines around her eyes and mouth, and a tiny crease had set up its home between her brow and it distracted from the joy in her dainty, curled lips.

She needed time, he told himself once again. _Time. _

Despite the fact that her request was outlandish, he did not visually react besides the fact that the wind was sweeping around the dirty clumps of his blue hair and blowing it around his pale face. Neither he nor his companion had a home, and they most likely never would.

That didn't stop them from desperately craving one, though.

He understood her, at the very least, even if he didn't express it. It wasn't that they wanted to return to some familiar house or some nostalgic landscape that they'd left behind, but they wanted a place that made them feel safe, and _not_ like a pair of criminals floating around without a purpose. He also understood that the only place that even came remotely close to that was (at least in his mind) far, far away from both of them. Too far away to reach.

He smiled and stood up gingerly, his joints creaking from being still for so long, and his gentle features bathed in a cool mixture of moonlight streaming through the trees and the warm glow of the fire.

He smiled calmly at the girl and took a few hesitant steps towards her, reaching out a surprisingly pale had and ruffling her rosy hair. "You know we can't do that, Meredy." He said lightly, his smile quirking to one side as he continued. "We promised each other that we wouldn't become too close to any who walked in the light. We have to repent for what we've done. Right?"

The girl nodded knowingly, tilting her head to one side to escape his palm as she locked a morose stare on soles of her shoes.

He furrowed his brow, the smiled dropping from his face as he let out a long breath of air from his nose and crouched down in front of the weary girl, studying her depressed expression before mumbling a 'Get some sleep.' and straightening himself out, turning his back to her.

Why did _he_ have to be the one to say no?

From behind him, he heard her stir and felt her eyes start to prick his back. "Can we at least go see it? Please?"

He smiled to himself at her persistence and shut his eyes, calmly easing his hands into his pockets. "Do you really want to walk all night for something like that?" But she was already at his side, her big eyes filled with excitement and a newly refreshed smile on her lips. He shook his head and returned the expression, but raised his brow and let his eyes wander teasingly back to the fire. "You're going to leave that?"

She let out an 'Oh!' and rushed back, quickly throwing a few rocks and clumps of dirt over the flames. He watched her for a minute, amused, but his face quickly fell and his brow pinched together. Something about watching the tiny flames fade away made him unexplainably upset, and as the last little glows were snuffed out he had to turn away, letting his sea-green eyes shift from the ground to the sky in thought. It was getting late now, he decided, and the moon was high, perched up on a mountain of dark blues and lilacs like a patient, beautiful vulture. He could feel Meredy waiting behind him and shrugged off his thoughts, taking a few lazy steps forward through the forest and carefully brushing away a few stray branches from his path.

_I'm not supposed to be doing this. _He thought. But, he kept going anyway.

He _wanted_ to do it.

…

Morning had just barely begun now, and the light pinks and yellows of the sky were reflected in two pairs of tired eyes. Jellal had managed to 'command' his impatient, rosy haired charge to stop and rest for at least a _few _minutes before they continued.

They had stopped in an old dirt road on top of a cliff that that was pressed tightly against the back edge of Magnolia, overlooking the sleepy, misty town. Long shadows were pulling away from the buildings towards the west, reaching out their thin fingers for the two mages, who were just barely escaping their grasp. People were just starting to creep from the safety of their houses and into the pale light, with the occasional figure wandering quietly through the thin streets from one place to the next, setting up fruit carts or carrying packages.

With Meredy sitting quietly next to him, observing the scene, the blue haired man had found himself attracted to a barrel of bright red apples sitting placidly outside of a building. From his place, he could just barely make out a thin film of morning dew glistening over their scarlet skin, and he let himself get wrapped up in the sight.

How he loved the color red.

"Hey, Jellal? Can we get going now? I know you don't want to be out when other people are around." It was Meredy who distracted him, and he hesitantly tore himself away from the scarlet goodness to face her tired and hopeful eyes. He smiled calmly at her, although it dropped slightly when she stood and started towards him, her brows furrowed with a glassy and distraught look flooding her sleepy irises as she prodded him further. "C'mon, Jellal. Let's go."

At first he could only stare, a little taken back by her intensity, but he shrugged it off and smiled at her again, casually sticking his hands in his pockets. "I'm afraid this is as far as we go. You can see it just fine from right here, can't you?" His expression firmed a bit and the girl looked away, frustrated. "We can't get any closer without someone spotting us."

The pinkette let out a little huff of displeasure and folded her skinny arms over her chest, glazing over the town. "Well, I don't care!" She pouted, her eyes flashing from bitterness to sadness and then refocusing on the male mage's expressionless feature while she stared at him, her lips pressed together in a mixture of annoyance and sadness. His brow twitched at this, but he only smirked at her, ruffling her pink locks and shoveling down his own upset feelings.

"Don't act like such a child." He teased, his deep eyes softening a bit as she batted away his hand and pouted. He was distracted, though, by a bright red flower blooming in a clump of grass a few yards away from him, its multitude of stringy petals reaching up for the warmth of the slowly rising sun. He stared at it carefully, running his eyes over the worn edges and tips of the plant, temporarily wrapped up in the welcoming warmth that the color curled around him.

_"Jellal." _

His eyes widened and his jaw dropped slightly into a look of shock. Her voice was there, in his head, calling out to him. He could often hear it when he was alone, or when he was remembering her smile, but this time it had been real. Too real.

"Jellal?!"

His breath caught midway and he froze, feeling Meredy's back press up against his arm as she faced the higher edge of the road and her warm, small fingers briefly brushed against his as she searched for some assurance. Her voice slipped out low and nervous. "Jellal, it's…"

But he didn't need to be told.

Turning his head shyly over his shoulder and looking past the jungle of soft, pink fibers behind him, his eyes met the dark brown orbs of a curvy, casually dressed woman standing on the horizon line of the hill over an eighth of a mile away from him. Her scarlet hair was swirling gentle in the breeze and framing her look of shock. Jellal reached out his arm and gently pushed back the sensory mage and took several unconscious steps forward, towards the woman on the hill, who was waving her arm high in the air and running towards them with a warm smile on her face.

"Jellal! Meredy!"

He blinked, relaxing slightly. "E-Erza…? How did you—Wh-when did you—What are you doing here?" He stammered, approaching her as she slowed to a stop and caught her breath, smiling brightly towards the two mages. At the blue haired man's question, she quirked her brow and the corners of her mouth fell slightly.

"What do you mean? This is the roadway from the girl's dorm to the guild. You did know that, didn't you?" She deadpanned, folding her slender arms over her white blouse.

The mage gawked in response, his jaw slacked as he snapped his attention to the dirt surrounding his feet. At the sight of several fresh, small footprints, he lightly smacked his face and let the palm of his hand slide over his tattoo. "You have got to be kidding me…"

Meredy covered her mouth and giggled slyly at him before turning her attention to the scarlet haired woman and flashing a bright, devilish smile. "We came to visit!" She blurted happily, clapping her hands together and sending her blue haired companion into another fit of stutters as he tried in vain to protest.

Ignoring him, Erza smiled and placed a hand on her hip, shifting to one side with a raised brow and suspicious smile. "Is that so?" She turned to Jellal. "That's a little risky, isn't it? Not that I'm complaining." Her expression softened a bit and she lowered her voice, her gaze falling and the slightest hints of a blush tinting her smooth cheeks. "I've missed you."

The man froze once again at this, heat quickly spreading over his face as he gave the woman a wide-eyed stare. "Erza, I-"

"He came all this way just to see you, Erza! Isn't that sweet? He made us walk all night without sleeping, though. He just couldn't wait." Meredy popped up in front of him with a bright, impish grin, blocking his face and cutting him off while successfully sending him into a fit a sputters and denials. The pinkette only offered an innocently playful smile while her eyes flashed dangerously in the mid-morning light, directing a sideways gaze to a certain (and suddenly very flustered) blue-haired mage.

The older woman's eyes widened slightly at this, but quickly softened when she spotted the embarrassment smeared all over the tattooed face of her old friend as he struggled to form up a defense. "Really now?" She spoke warmly, cutting off his blubbering. "I'm flattered that you've come all this way, Jellal. But if you've really been out all night then you should come rest up at the guild. I'm sure the others would be excited to see you."

"Alright!" Meredy cheered, throwing her fist into the air and then sleepily stretching her arms upwards with a yawn. "That sounds great. Doesn't it, Jellal?"

The helpless blue haired man only sputtered out a few syllables, unable to keep up with the two women before him. _What's happening…? _

Erza caught the look of distress on her old friend's face and smiled fondly at him before turning to place a reassuring hand on his stiff shoulder.

"This path leads to one of the guild's back doors. Don't worry; I'll make sure no one sees you. We all will." She smiled, sliding her palm off of his cloak and turning to follow Meredy, who had already started down the path. After a few steps, she turned just enough to let her silky voice travel over her shoulder towards the blushing, defeated man who was still lagging behind her.

"I really did miss you, Jellal."

…

After Erza arrived at the guild with the two Crime Sorciere mages in tow, something along the lines of controlled chaos had erupted as the rambunctious guild welcomed in their former friends, and Erza (knowing the tattooed man and his awkwardness) had decided to pull a certain mage out of the mess and onto the back grounds of the guild and into the nice, calm, quiet. Even though things had been mended between the two mages, however, the peace was quickly replaced by a thick and soupy sense of tension soaking in the cool air as silence settled over them.

Jellal was trying his best not to let the uncomfortable situation get the better of him, but he had ended up getting captured in a tiny red Cardinal sitting a few feet up in a tree that was just far enough away to keep its shadow to itself, and the little bird was busily twittering and shifting impatiently over the beginnings of a nest. Its feathers were softly ruffling in a gentle breeze that had kicked up, and within a few seconds another bird had joined it with a bundle of twigs and dried leaves pinched protectively in its beak. They started fussing with each other, hopping from place to place before the female finally flew off, leaving the male to chase after her, and their color disappeared far off in the distance. How quickly his favorite things would leave.

"It really has been a while." Erza pondered, finally breaking the silence. There was a long pause as her words lingered in the air, ringing softly in the wind while Jellal tilted his head down to focus on his boots and grunted a reply, still not ready to make eye contact. From behind, he could hear the re-equip mage shuffle and sigh awkwardly as the air thickened and broiled between their friction. Her eyes bored into his back, and he knew for a fact that they would not stop until he turned around, but for some reason he just couldn't bring himself to move. Somehow, he felt that if he turned around in that moment, and he looked into those deep brown irises with the stringy curtains of scarlet hair floating around them, he would be stealing something he didn't deserve. Spoiling himself.

Erza, on the other hand, had sensed that there was something amiss with the Crime Sorciere mage from the moment she had seen him at the bottom of that hill. Maybe it was that his aura had changed. Or, maybe he was just tired, but something was definitely very different from the Jellal she had seen a few months ago. It wasn't that he was a drastically changed person who had gone through some deep, ridiculous, personal revelation, but something about him was so... cloudy. Like he was standing in fog, far away, and she couldn't quite make out his figure.

Taking a shot in the dark, she tried again for some type of response. "Meredy seems like she's doing well. She's still a little down though, isn't she? She doesn't smile as brightly as she used to."

At that, the blunette tilted his head back to look at the sky, a small, regretful smile creeping onto his face as he said what he always thought to distract himself from his companion's slightly depressed state.

"She just needs some time, that's all."

Erza raised her brow, and nodded to herself, a little surprised by his low and distracted tone. She brushed it off, however. He was just tired.

"I see." She mumbled, lazily crossing her arms as she shifted her weight to one side and let out a little puff.

Sensing the silence creeping up around them, she decided to try her luck with something she knew the cloudy man couldn't ignore.

"So… How is your fiancée?" She smirked, a teasing tone edging onto her voice as she watched the blunette's shoulders tighten in embarrassment, his body becoming stiff and ridged as he nervously tapped the ground with the toe of his boot.

"She's, uh… She's good." He fibbed, relaxing slightly and rubbing the back of his head. He sucked in a breath and started to turn around, but was met with a dangerously close Erza standing directly behind him. He froze mid-step as her pale, thin fingers gracefully made their way up and cupped his reddening cheeks, sending chills down his spine from her cool touch as she stared gently into his wide irises and touched their foreheads together reassuringly. He stared, sputtering, his jaw moving up and down silently as he breathed in the sweet, warm smell of her scarlet hair and felt the heat from her breath add heaps to his blush.

For a minute, they were silent, and the wind picked up his blue locks and carefully tossed the fibers into hers, letting the thin strands twist and intermingle. He could hear her heartbeat.

After a pause, she smiled slightly and shut her eyes.

"You're such a terrible liar."

**Alrighty ^^ We have chapter one XD I don't really have much to say about this, except that I kinda just plan for this to be pure romance, so don't expect much in the way of... well, plot XD There will be character development, though :D (Hopefully. Derp.) **

**Oh!Oh!Oh! But, hey, you know how Jellal just kept saying that Meredy needed 'Time'? Who has lots to do with time? :3 Hahahaha... I'm so stupid XD**

**Anyway, I'm hoping to give them a nice, in-character love story, so yep. That's all I got XD **

**Thank you guys tons for reading! And reviews are highly appreciated ;D **

**~Kishi**


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